The Mets have narrowed their GM search to three candidates: CAA's Brodie Van Wagenen, former Rangers and Brewers GM Doug Melvin, and Rays senior VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.

Second round interviews are expected to wrap up later this week, with the Mets potentially making the new hire shortly after.

Who is Chaim Bloom?

The 35-year-old Bloom currently oversees and works closely with the Rays' current GM, Erik Neander.

Bloom interviewed to run the Phillies in 2015 and the next winter interviewed with the Twins, prior to which he turned down the opportunity to meet with the Diamondbacks.

Bloom, who graduated from Yale, has handled contract and trade negotiations, organized player development and scouting philosophy and created the baseball systems and advanced analytics department in Tampa.

He interned with the baseball operations department for the Padres, during which former Mets GM Sandy Alderson was CEO.

My Take: I love his background, education and experience, as it pertains to what is needed handling rosters, mining talent and using statistics to create a successful roster. But, given his age, the world he grew up in and the quiet Tampa market, I'm worried how he would handle the tumult and intense scrutiny of running a team in New York -- especially the Mets, who have a propensity to be unique in the drama that surrounds them.

That said, he's a tremendous talent and, if he wants the job, it would be disappointing to lose him, especially since similarly young, progressive candidates like Ben Cherington and Thad Levine were not interested.

As a result, I'm begging the Mets to hire him to be GM, while also hiring either Melvin or Van Wagenen to be the team's President of Baseball Operations or director of strategy or whatever they want to the senior-level position to be titled. This is the winning dynamic being used in Boston, Wrigley Field, Los Angeles and Oakland. And I think it would work beautifully in Queens.

Matthew Cerrone (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Contact) is lead writer of MetsBlog.com, which he created in 2003. He also hosts the MetsBlog Podcast, which you can subscribe to here. His new book, The New York Mets Fans' Bucket List, details 44 things every Mets fan should experience during their lifetime. To check it out, click here!

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